


all my christmases.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: i refuse to admit there was a beach divorce (aka all my charles/erik fics) [80]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence, Boys Kissing, Christmas, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Eve, December writing challenge, Established Relationship, Inspired by Music, Kissing, M/M, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Relationship(s), Secret Relationship, Short One Shot, Tumblr Prompt, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000, christmas day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: And nowEvery Christmas from now onI'll be here by your sideAnd nowEvery day in betweenAnd for all of our livesI'll be waiting under the mistletoeAnd any kiss from you, you knowI do, I do, I doFrom now onAll my Christmases with youor:  A threat is looming and Erik can't take his mind off of it, but Charles makes him promise to at least come have Christmas dinner with the team like he does every year.  When Christmas dinner arrives and Erik is nowhere to be found, Charles goes looking for him.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Series: i refuse to admit there was a beach divorce (aka all my charles/erik fics) [80]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1202509
Kudos: 6
Collections: December Writing Challenge - 2019





	all my christmases.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Grey_Summers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grey_Summers/gifts).



> Merry Christmas from the artist formerly known as porcelainsimplicity. 'tis still me, just a different username. I hope you're having a wonderful day, whether you celebrate this holiday or not. 
> 
> No beach divorce, but Charles was paralyzed somehow in Cuba. Set ten years after XMFC but before DOFP. None of the rest of the team is aware of their relationship. 
> 
> Day 25 of my December writing challenge. Today's prompt comes from someone on Tumblr, but I unfortunately cannot tell you who. I had this all written down but I lost that word doc in a computer crash and my attempts to find who authored all of the prompts were only partially successful. This is one of the prompts I couldn't find the author of, so if this is your prompt, please let me know so I can credit you! I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Day 25 prompt: “I’m sure whatever threat is out there can wait until after Christmas dinner.”  
> Day 25 title song: All My Christmases by Jillian Edwards
> 
> and thus brings an end to all of my one-shots based off prompts, but a six-part New Year's story starts tomorrow. 
> 
> This is for the absolutely incomparable Scarlett. Thank you for everything, my dear.

A threat was out there and no one knew when the attack was going to happen. They knew nothing about this threat beyond little bits and pieces, and it was all the team could concentrate on. But as the holiday season came around, everyone started to concentrate on traditions that they had instead of just on the threat. The kids put up lights on the mansion. They all worked on building a snowman after a large storm. Everyone gathered to decorate the Christmas tree, even Erik, though he spent all night sipping scotch and giving gentle tips when something wasn't straight. And as Christmas approached, it seemed like the threat was going to be a distant memory, at least until the holiday was over and everyone needed to concentrate on it again.

Then four days before Christmas, Raven said she was going to Washington D.C. to check some things out. And two days before Christmas, she came back, handing over information to Charles and Erik about mutant experimentation that was going on, though she could get few details beyond that. The three of them discussed what to do about the information before it was decided that they would wait to inform everyone else until after Christmas was over so that they could enjoy the holiday that they all knew everyone was really looking forward to. 

But on Christmas Eve, Erik couldn't stop thinking about it. Couldn't stop wondering if maybe there was something in there that Raven didn't see, something that they could form a plan around. And so while the team was enjoying breakfast in the kitchen, Erik took the elevator downstairs and found the information, settling himself in front of Hank's bank of television monitors and beginning to read through it. 

That's where Charles found him an hour later, shaking his head as he made his way into the room. “Erik, we had an agreement about that information.”

“I don't celebrate this holiday, Charles. That gives me plenty of time to go through it.”

“Erik,” Charles said, and Erik turned around to look at him.

“Charles, I have to do this. I need to do this. Let me do this.”

Charles wheeled closer to him and took in the fear on Erik's face. “What is it, darling?”

“He did so much to me,” Erik murmured, taking a deep breath. “I can't rest until I find out who is doing this to our brothers and sisters.”

Charles nodded. “If that is what you must do, then that is what you must do. I just have one request.”

Erik sighed. “What is it?”

“That you join us for Christmas dinner as you usually do. If you're not there, then the kids will begin to pick up on the fact that we're not telling them something.”

Erik nodded. “I will be there for Christmas dinner. I promise.”

Charles leaned forward and kissed Erik deeply. “Don't work yourself to death.”

“I will come upstairs tonight, I promise. You are right about not letting them know that something is wrong. But no arguments if I come back down here after they all go up to bed.”

Charles smiled at him. “No arguments. I promise.”

They moved away from each other as the sound of voices hit them. “You should go find out what Sean and Alex want,” Erik said, turning back to the papers. “It's entirely too early for them to be down here.”

Charles laughed as he made his way towards the door. “They're up to trouble, no doubt. I'll see you tonight, Erik.”

**********

Christmas Eve night came, and despite Charles giving him several mental reminders that it was time for him to come upstairs, Erik never did. Charles wanted to go down there and make him, but Raven kept getting him to sing along to the radio, and Sean kept grabbing onto the wheelchair and spinning him around so that Charles could dance with them, and Alex kept trying to get Charles to help him position Raven and Hank underneath the mistletoe so that they would finally kiss. He got swept up into the celebration of it all, and by the time that everyone was making their way up to bed, Charles was so weary that he could barely keep his eyes open. Sending a mental goodnight to Erik, he got into bed and fell asleep.

**********

Raven set the last of the dishes onto the table and sat down, and then everyone was reaching for spoons and heaping food onto their plates. Christmas dinner was one of the team's favorite bonding moments of the year.

But Charles was concentrating on the opposite side of the table where Erik's seat was empty. He sent five gentle mental reminders that it was time for dinner in Erik's direction before he sighed, and that drew Hank's attention to him. “Charles? What's wrong?”

“Erik has apparently forgotten that it's time for dinner,” Charles said, shaking his head. “I'll go get him.”

“Well, then we'll wait for you,” Sean said. 

“No, no, go ahead and eat. Erik and I will just be slightly behind you.”

“We'll make sure we don't eat everything!” Alex called out.

“Charles,” Raven said, her voice more serious than the others had been. “Remind him that it's Christmas. I know he doesn't celebrate it, but he's always here for this.”

“I will, my dear,” Charles said, wheeling himself away from the table.

He went to the elevator and took it downstairs, rolling down the hallway to the room where Erik was. As soon as he got to the doorway, he knew that Erik had hit a dead end. The papers were strewn about the room, one of Hank's television monitors was broken, and Erik was sat there with his head in his hands. Charles could feel the frustration coming off of him in waves.

Still, he wheeled himself into the room. “Erik?” he tried gently.

Erik let out a loud exhale and Charles wheeled closer. “Did you find anything?” he asked despite already knowing the answer.

“Not a motherfucking thing,” Erik muttered, finally looking up at him. “This threat is growing, Charles. I'm more concerned about the place of mutants in this world than I ever have been before. Experimentation on our kind...it can only mean something terrible.”

“I know, darling,” Charles said, coming up to him. “But there is nothing we can do about it today.”

“Use Cerebro,” Erik pleaded. “Listen in on the CIA again. You got enough out of them last time that Raven knew where to go to find this. You can find out more.”

“Erik, it's Christmas. There are probably only junior agents who know nothing of importance working if anyone is working at all.”

“Charles...” Erik started, but Charles just shook his head.

“I will listen in soon, I promise. But right now, you're going to fulfill a promise you made to me.”

Erik's shoulders slumped. “I need to concentrate on this. This threat...”

“Erik,” Charles said forcefully. “I’m sure whatever threat is out there can wait until after Christmas dinner.”

“Charles,” Erik tried again, but Charles wasn't having it.

“If you don't join us for Christmas dinner like you do every year, then everyone is going to want to know why. I will at that point have no choice but to ruin their day by telling them what Raven found and what you've been doing. Don't do that to them.”

“But...”

“Erik, you know how important these bonding moments are for the team. Some of you have nowhere else to go, no one to go back to. This is our family now. I know you don't celebrate this day, but you have always joined us for dinner. Please come upstairs.”

Erik stared at him for a moment before sighing heavily. “Fine. But I'm coming back to this as soon as dinner is over.”

“I will agree to that,” Charles said, reaching out and pulling him into a kiss. “Thank you.”

“Me agreeing to come up for dinner does not need a thank you.”

“That's not what I'm thanking you for,” Charles murmured. “I'm thanking you for being here through all of my Christmases. I never knew how important Christmas could be until I started spending it with the man that I love, even if you stay out of almost all of the traditions. You'll never know that means to me, Erik.”

“I suspect it means to you what it means to me when you join me in my room to light the candle and you say the blessings with me despite it not being your holiday,” Erik murmured, pulling Charles into another kiss. “I can't put into words what that means to me.”

Charles grinned at him. “I love you, Erik. I don't say that often enough.”

“I love you too, Charles. And I don't say that often enough either.”

“Come now, up to dinner,” Charles said, staring at Erik until Erik stood up. 

“Alright, I'll come have dinner.”

As they made their way to the elevator, Erik reached out and took Charles's hand. “I am going to have to request that Sean and Alex not sing Jingle Bells at the top of their lungs.”

Charles laughed. “I think you will find that request to be denied, my friend. But I must say, do try not to say much with innuendo in it. Raven has begun to suspect that there is more to our relationship than we are letting on.”

“I will be on my best behavior, I promise,” Erik said as they got into the elevator. He waited until Charles had pressed the button to continue. “I am happy to share your Christmases with you, Charles, if only to see the excitement that the holiday brings you.”

Charles grinned and before he could say anything, Erik bent and gave him a deep kiss. “Merry Christmas, my love,” he murmured.

“Merry Christmas, Charles,” Erik said, standing back up as the elevator slowed. “Alright, tell me what there is to eat this year.”

“Just come to find out for yourself, Erik. Raven will be glad to tell you, I'm sure.”


End file.
